


Nightmare Then Shower

by camichats



Series: Imagine James and Sirius Prompts [11]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Established Relationship, Grooming, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-12-12 10:47:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11735475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/camichats/pseuds/camichats
Summary: There isn't a formula for what James does after Sirius has a nightmare, but it always makes him feel better.





	Nightmare Then Shower

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt: “Hello, this is not a proper prompt because I can't really think of anything, but I need some prongsfoot hurt/comfort, need it so bad, please! It can be anything you want: a nightmare, a boggart, Sirius running away, one of them being hurt/injured, I'd even say something more serious like depression but I don't know if you're comfortable with it... Hope it's ok! Thank you!”
> 
> Originally posted on [tumblr](https://imaginejamesandsirius.tumblr.com/post/163871341845/hello-this-is-not-a-proper-prompt-because-i-cant)

_He was running through the corridors of Hogwarts alongside Remus and Peter and, of course, James, all of them laughing and smiling like they were having the time of their lives. They were running and making turns like there was no end in sight and it was exhilarating. Then James was pressing him against his bedroom wall in Potter Manor, kissing his neck and tugging at his hair in a way that made him breathless where the running a moment ago hadn’t. “I love you so much.” He didn’t know who said it, maybe both of them._

_And then James was gone and he was looking up at his enraged father as an unforgettable chill settled in his bones. His body ached, parts of his arms swollen from trying to block blows, not that it helped. He’d never made Father so angry that he set aside his wand before._

_Sheer, blind panic as the world fell away to Sirius, Father, and the blood on his fists._

_“Please.” He knew it wouldn’t help but it came out anyway. “Please.”_

“Sirius.”

_James’s voice. But James wasn’t here, if he was, then Father wouldn’t be raising his wand with his eyes and wand alike glowing like all he wanted was to destroy everything Sirius was._

“Sirius, please wake up baby, it’s not real.”

He jerked awake with a start, gasping for air as the image of Orion stuck in his head and hovered like he was still there, about to hurt him.

“It’s okay baby, I’m here, you’re okay, no one’s going to hurt you.” James was holding him, rubbing a hand against his back in circles. “You’re safe, it wasn’t real.”

“Yes it was,” he croaked. It had been the night he ran away. Or, rather, the night before the early morning he ran away. He’d never felt so helpless as he did that night, and he’d never felt safer than when the Potters had welcomed him to their home to stay.

James kissed his head. “Well it’s over now, you’re safe.” He continued to say things like that in a low, comforting voice until Sirius stopped shaking and was leaning against him on purpose instead of accident.

Now that he was feeling (mostly) fine, he almost thought his reaction to the nightmare was silly. Almost. He and James had had too many conversations about that for Sirius to truly feel embarrassed about it. “I feel so gross,” Sirius said. His pyjamas were sticking to him in a distinctly unpleasant way, and it was too hot to be cuddling under blankets but he would rather die than throw off the blankets. Not to mention that he was exhausted and wanted to sleep, but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to manage it.

“Aw and here I thought we were having a sappy moment.” James kissed his head again. “Do you want a shower?”

Sirius thought about it, the idea taking several seconds longer than it should have because of his muddled head, and nodded. “Yeah, shower sounds good.” He was about to start struggling to stand, but James was helping him up before he could begin. He shouldn’t have been surprised since James did this every time.

James eased him out of his pyjamas, chucking them in the laundry basket and following suit with his own clothes. He took Sirius’s hand and led him into the shower, then reached past him to turn the water on, just a touch too hot and exactly what Sirius needed.

Sirius let himself be shuffled back into the spray and rested his head against James’s shoulder when the back of his head was nudged that direction. He closed his eyes, and it was so easy to let any lingering thoughts go and let James take care of him.

James lathered shampoo into his hair, but it was for the feel of it, not because of any cleanliness he needed. The conditioner afterwards was so that Sirius wouldn’t pout about his hair tangling in the morning. James kissed Sirius’s shoulder a few minutes after he finished. “Ready to get out?”

“No. Gonna stay in here forever.”

“The water will get cold,” James reminded him, and Sirius poked his thigh for it. How dare James bring that up.

“Fine.” He turned off the water before he could change his mind. “I don’t see why we couldn’t have stayed in till the hot water ran out,” he grumbled as they got out.

“Because you get grumpy if the water’s cold.” James plopped a towel on Sirius’s head and started rubbing at his own body, obviously focusing on speed.

“I’m already grumpy, I wanted to be _warm_.”

James grabbed the towel from Sirius’s head (that the man hadn’t touched, not even to get it out of his face), and worked on drying him off, being markedly more gentle and thorough with Sirius. “Our bed is warm.”

Sirius hummed contentedly. “It is.” He bat at James’s hands, making him drop the clothes he had just picked up. “No clothes.” He grabbed James around the upper arm, pulling him away before he could protest. He let go to crawl into bed, waiting until James had done the same to try and get comfortable. Mostly because he wanted to sleep on him. What could he say? James made an excellent bed heater and pillow.

James just kissed him and pulled the duvet where they normally kept it. Sirius shifted and put it over their heads.

“‘S more comfy this way,” he explained even though he knew James didn’t ask.

“It is.” James raised Sirius’s arm to his mouth and kissed him again, because he could. Sirius sighed, happy and sleepy, feeling safe and warm. It was all he wanted.

**Author's Note:**

> This is from a prompt driven blog at [imaginejamesandsirius](https://imaginejamesandsirius.tumblr.com) on tumblr. Drop by, send in a prompt if you want ;)


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